WordPress 3.2 Beta 1 Available for Download Now

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The latest version of WordPress — 3.2 Beta 1 — is now available for download. Interested parties can grab the .zip file and install away.

The new release brings a slew of interesting features, including a new theme, a facelift for the Admin UI, new fullscreen composing modes and more.

Also new for WordPress 3.2, Internet Explorer 6 will no longer be supported.

The beta promises speed and performance fixes “like you wouldn’t believe,” a more useful admin bar, and notifications about browser updates. The “distraction-free writing” mode gives users fullscreen composing capabilities for both HTML and visual modes.

The new default theme for WordPress 3.2 is Twenty Eleven. It features rotating header images and post format support, among other goodies.

WordPress 3.1 was just released three months ago. With the new beta, the WordPress powers that be aren’t recommending using it on a production site; rather, it’s advisable to wait for a stable release, which should be available by June. In the meantime, beta testers can report bugs to help prep for the official stable release.

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